Saturday, July 24, 2010

Gheorghe Mureşan -231 cm. 2.31 m (7 ft 7 in) – Retired Romanian professional basketball player. Tied as tallest player in NBA history. Gheorghe Dumitru Mureşan, (Romanian pronunciation: ; born February 14, 1971 in Triteni, Romania), also known as Ghiţă or George, is a retired Romanian professional basketball player. At 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m), he is tied with Sudanese player Manute Bol as the tallest man to ever play in the NBA. Both his parents are of average size, and unlike Bol, his great height is the result of a pituitary disorder.The 5th tall athlete in the world.

NBA career

Mureşan was born in Triteni, in the Romanian district of Cluj to a poor family, and played competitive basketball at Cluj University. He played professionally in the French league with Pau-Orthez during the 1992–93 season and was an instant hit with fans. The NBA took interest in him and he was selected by the Washington Bullets in the 1993 NBA Draft. He played in the NBA from 1993 to 1994 showing signs of a promising career that was derailed by injuries.

After returning to France and playing for the start of the 1995–96 season with Pau-Orthez, he was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for the 1995–96 season after averaging 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.26 blocks per game while making a league-leading 58.4 percent of his field goals. He led in field goal percentage again the following season, with a 60.4% average. Overall, he holds career averages of 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.48 blocks per game and a .573 field goal percentage. He joined the New Jersey Nets for the final 31 games of his career. After retiring from the NBA, Mureşan returned to the French league for three more years before returning to settle in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey with his family. He normally wore number 77, in reference to his height.